QUICK HITTERS The Dec. 14 NCAA quarterfinal game will be the first meeting between the University of New Hampshire and Southeastern Louisiana University football programs.

UNH enters Saturday's game on a five-game winning streak and the Wildcats have won eight of nine.

Southeastern Louisiana has won 10 consecutive games with three wins against nationally-ranked teams, including two vs. Sam Houston State (a team that advanced to the FCS championship game the past two years).

The Lions were last defeated Sept. 14 at South Dakota State, which was ranked No. 6 at the time, by a score of 34-26.

New Hampshire has a 3-4 road record this season but has won two straight on the road and three of the last four. Southeastern is 7-0 at Strawberry Stadium.

UNH is making a national-best 10th consecutive appearance in the FCS Championship. In comparison, Southeastern played its first ever playoff game last weekend.

The Wildcats have an 8-9 record during this 10-year streak with a 6-1 record in first round games, 2-2 mark in the second round (all on the road) and 0-6 in the quarterfinals (0-5 on the road).

This is New Hampshire's 12th overall appearance in the FCS tournament. The Wildcats have a 7-11 tourney record that includes 5-8 on the road. They played 11 consecutive road playoff games spanning 2006-12 (4-7 record).

The Wildcats won multiple playoff games for the first time in a single season in 2013 by defeating Lafayette (45-7) and Maine (41-27).

UNH has a 4-2 record vs. nationally-ranked teams and has won each of the last four matchups.

A total of eight Wildcats received CAA All-Conference Team recognition. Junior wide receiver R.J. Harris was named to the First Team for the second consecutive year. Two 'Cats were voted to the Second Team and five were Third Team selections.

UNH vs. Southeastern Louisiana All-Time Series: The University of New Hampshire and Southeastern Louisiana University football programs will battle for the first time Saturday, Dec. 14 (7 p.m. Eastern) in an NCAA quarterfinal game at Strawberry Stadium.

Scouting the Lions: Southeastern Louisiana University is ranked No. 7 in both national polls and is the fourth seed of the FCS Championship tournament. The Lions enter Saturday's game with an 11-2 overall record that includes 7-0 in the Southland Conference as well as 7-0 at home. Their 10-game win streak started Sept. 21 at Samford (34-31) and includes four victories against nationally-ranked teams – two vs. Sam Houston State.
SLU advanced to the quarterfinals with a 30-29 victory against 14th-ranked Sam Houston State last Saturday, which marked the first playoff game in school history (the program was reinstated in 2003). The Lions trailed 29-24 with 1:21 remaining in the game and, with no timeouts, marched 85 yards in 49 seconds to take the lead on a one-yard TD pass from Bryan Bennett to Jeff Smiley.
Southeastern's 10-game win streak is the second longest in program history to the 13 game streak that spanned the 1954-55 seasons. The 11 victories is a single-season record.
The Lions' last loss was Sept. 14 at sixth-ranked South Dakota State by a score of 34-26. In addition to a pair of wins against Sam Houston State, Southeastern also defeated nationally-ranked No. 4/7 McNeese State (41-7) and No. 24 Central Arkansas (58-31), both on the road. [Note: all rankings are at date of game.]
SLU boasts one of the top offenses in the country. The Lions rank No. 7 in scoring (40.1 points per game) as well as No. 9 in both rushing offense (245.8 yards/game) and total offense (494.0 yards/game). Southeastern allows a league-low 22.9 points per game. (No. 30 in the nation).

Players to Watch: Junior quarterback Bryan Bennett, the Southland Conference Player of the Year, is a dual threat with a 155.61 passer efficiency rating, which ranks No. 7 in the nation, and 15 rushing touchdowns, which is No. 15. He has completed 190 of 308 passes (61.7%) for 2,896 yards and 20 TDs; he has thrown 10 interceptions. Bennett is the team's top ground gainer with 171 carries for 1,017 yards.
Senior linebacker Cqulin Hubert, the Southland Defensive Player of the Year, has a team-high 77 tackles. Isiah Corbett (nine sacks) and Jacob Newman (seven) are the top pass rushers.
Xavier Roberson is the top kickoff returner in the country at 34.4 yards per return, and he has three kickoff return TDs this season.

Best in the Region: Senior offensive lineman Ricky Archer, senior safety Manny Asam and junior wide receiver R.J. Harris were named to the 2013 FCS All-New England Team on Dec. 2. The team is selected by the New England Football Writers' Association.

Eight 'Cats Feted By CAA: A total of eight Wildcats received CAA All-Conference recognition on Tuesday. Junior wide receiver R.J. Harris headlined the list with a repeat selection to the First Team. Senior offensive lineman Ricky Archer (The Plains, Va.) and junior running back Nico Steriti (Toms River, N.J.) were named to the Second Team. The Third Team included sophomore linebacker Akil Anderson, senior safety Manny Asam, senior wide receiver Justin Mello, senior offensive lineman Seamus O'Neill and junior tight end Harold Spears.
College Sports Madness Announces Awards: College Sports Madness announced the Madness CAA All-Conference Football Team on Friday, Nov. 29. The Wildcats had four representatives on the Second Team and eight on the Third Team.
Second Team Offense (4): Nico Steriti (RB), Justin Mello (WR), R.J. Harris (WR), Seamus O'Neill (OL)
Third Team Offense (3): Harold Spears (TE), Ricky Archer (OL), Mike
MacArthur (K)
Third Team Defense (5): Matt Kaplan (DL), Akil Anderson (LB), Casey DeAndrade (DB), Manny Asam (DB), Brad Prasky (P)

WHEN UNH HAS THE BALL: New Hampshire is averaging 32.9 points and 448.7 yards per game with a balanced attack of 202.2 rushing yards per game and 246.5 passing yards per game.
Junior wide receiver R.J. Harris and senior WR Justin Mello highlight the offense. Mello leads the team in catches (66), receiving yards (936) and receiving TDs (10). Harris, a CAA All-Conference First Team and All-New England Team selection, ranks second in receptions (60), receiving yards (861) and receiving TDs (five).
The ground game is led by junior running back Nico Steriti, an All-Conference Second Team selection. He has 177 carries for 946 yards and eight TDs. Senior RB Chris Setian is second in rushing yards (431) and rushing TDs (seven).
Junior Andy Vailas and sophomore Sean Goldrich have split the quarterback duties with Goldrich receiving the starting nod both playoff games.
Vailas started the first four games of the season and has six starts in eight games played; he has a 122.50 passer efficiency on 130 of 218 passing for 1,397 yards and nine TDs.
Goldrich, who also had four consecutive starts and seven overall in 13 games played, has a 148.07 passer rating on 121-for-203 for 1,683 yards and 14 TDs.

WHEN THE OPPONENT HAS THE BALL: UNH allows 21.2 points and 406.2 yards per game to rank second in the CAA and 15th in the nation in scoring defense. The Wildcats yield 163.2 rushing yards and 242.9 passing yards per game.
Junior linebacker Shane McNeely and sophomore linebacker Akil Anderson, an All-Conference Third Team honoree, are tied for the team lead in tackles with 104.
Anderson, who recorded a career-high 13 tackles in the NCAA second round game at Maine, has a team-high 58 unassisted tackles. He also leads the team in tackles for a loss (12.5), which includes 5.5 sacks. Anderson tallied double-digit tackles at Lehigh University (Sept. 28) and at the University at Albany (Nov. 26).
McNeely has recorded 56 unassisted tackles and 48 assisted tackles. He has been credited with six sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery, and he has two interceptions.
Senior safety Manny Asam, another Third Team selection, ranks third in tackles (80) with 52 unassisted tackles and 28 assisted tackles.
Redshirt freshman defensive back Casey DeAndrade is second in the nation in pass breakups with 18 and he has intercepted three passes, including one last week at Maine. He is also fourth on the team in tackles (61).

Inside the Win Streak: UNH enters Saturday's quarterfinal game at Southeastern with a five-game win streak consisting of victories vs. No. 22 James Madison University (33-17; Nov. 9), at Albany (37-20; Nov. 16), vs. No. 4 Maine (24-3; Nov. 23), vs. Lafayette (45-7; Nov. 30) and at No. 8 Maine (41-27; Dec. 7).
The Wildcats have outscored the opposition 180-74 in the five games, including 55-7 in the first quarter, while averaging 458.2 yards per game in comparison to the opposition's 370.5. There is a discernible difference in the rushing attack, where UNH is averaging 188.0 yards/game and the opponents are at 121.4.
New Hampshire's offense has converted 37 of 79 (46.8%) third downs and is 2-for-5 on fourth downs. The Wildcats' defense has held the opposition to 23 of 77 (30.0%) on third down and 4-for-13 on fourth down.
R.J. Harris is averaging 119.6 receiving yards per game with 34 catches for 598 yards (17.6 yards/reception); he has hauled in four TDs during the win streak. Justin Mello has 26 catches for 346 yards (69.2 yards/game; 13.3 yards/reception).
Nico Steriti (65 carries-346 yards) and Chris Setian (42-221) account for more than half of the team's rushes. Dalton Crossan (11-141) has been the most explosive at 12.8 yards per carry.
At quarterback, Sean Goldrich is 42 of 83 for 710 yards and six TDs for a 143.90 passer rating in four games played while Andy Vailas is 43-for-78 for 560 yards and five TDs for a 134.03 rating in three games.
The defensive effort has been spearheaded by Akil Anderson (46 tackles) and Shane McNeely (41). McNeely's other stats include four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.
UNH has forced nine turnovers (six interceptions, three fumbles) while committing only three (two INTs, one fumble).

A Notable Nine: UNH has won eight of its last nine games – the only loss was 17-0 at William & Mary (Nov. 2). The Wildcats recorded wins against nationally-ranked Villanova (29-28; Oct. 19), James Madison and Maine (twice) since the 8-1 stretch began Oct. 12 against Rhode Island.
The 'Cats have outscored the opposition 299-151 with significant margins in the first (71-23), second (70-46) and fourth (102-48) quarters.
In eight games played during the stretch, Sean Goldrich has completed 108 of 183 passes for 1,479 yards and 12 TDs (145.27 passer rating); he also has 81 rushes for 234 yards and three TDs. In four games, Andy Vailas is 60 of 107 for 682 yards and five TDs (121.30 rating).

New Hampshire makes Third Trip to Louisiana: Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal at Southeastern Louisiana (Hammond, La.) will be the UNH football program's third game played in the state of Louisiana – all three have been in postseason play. The Wildcats were 49-13 victors at McNeese State (Lake Charles, La.) in the 2009 FCS first round and lost to Western Kentucky, 14-3, in a 1975 Division II semifinal in Baton Rouge.

UNH vs. The Southland: New Hampshire has played just three games – with a 2-1 record – against current teams in the Southland Conference. The Wildcats split a pair of regular-season games against Stephen F. Austin with an 18-14 road loss in September 1997 and 38-28 home win in October 1999. Most recently, UNH ousted McNeese State from the 2009 NCAA tournament with a 49-13 victory in the first round.

Lions, Tigers and Bears. Oh, My!: The UNH Wildcats have two wins against the Maine Black Bears and a loss to the Towson Tigers this season. This weekend's opponent is the Southeastern Louisiana Lions.

What Just Happened: UNH defeated eighth-ranked and No. 5-seed Maine, 41-27, at Alfond Stadium on Dec. 7 to mark the first time in program history the Wildcats recorded multiple playoff wins in one season as well as their first postseason victory against a league opponent (previously 0-3).
UNH passed for 315 yards – the second highest total of the year – with season-high averages of 11.2 yards per attempt (28 attempts) and 18.5 yards per completion (17).
Sophomore quarterback Sean Goldrich threw for a career-high 291 yards and three touchdowns. His 48-yard strike to Jimmy Giansante put UNH ahead to stay, 17-10, at 7:40 of the second quarter. At the start of the third quarter, Goldrich engineered an eight-play, 51-yard drive that culminated in a three-yard TD pass to Justin Mello to give the 'Cats a 27-17 lead. Mello finished with five catches for a team-high 90 yards, including a 57-yard touchdown catch that gave New Hampshire a 10-7 lead at 5:02 of the first quarter.
Senior running back Chris Setian ran for a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to help seal the victory. His 12-yard run extended the advantage to 34-20 at 6:47 and then a seven-yard rush made it 41-20 at 2:42.
Akil Anderson recorded a career-high 13 tackles. Both Casey DeAndrade and Steven Thames had an interception.

Milestones Made at Maine: A handful of Wildcats attained personal milestones during the NCAA second round win at Maine (Dec. 7). Senior kicker Mike MacArthur ascended to third on the CAA all-time field goal leaderboard with kicks of 43 (season long) and 22 yards to increase his career total to 51 FGs.
Junior WR R.J. Harris entered that game with 188 career receptions and surpassed both John Perry (191) and Curtis Olds (193) with six catches to climb to No. 3 on the school's all-time leaderboard with 194.
Harris also advanced to No. 5 on the career receiving yards list with 85 to increase his total to 2,634. He moved past Chris Braune (1986-89), who amassed 2,612 receiving yards.
Sophomore QB Sean Goldrich eclipsed 1,500 passing yards this season with his career-high 291-yard performance against the Black Bears. His current total is 1,683.
Junior LB Shane McNeely recorded his 100th career tackle with the fourth of his eight tackles vs. Maine; he now has 104 tackles this season.
Sophomore LB Akil Anderson also recorded his 100th tackle of the season with the ninth of his career-high 13 at Maine; he also has 104 tackles in 2013.

Sack Exchange: The New Hampshire defense, ranked No. 5 in the nation in sacks at 3.31 per game, recorded a season-high 10 sacks in the Nov. 30 NCAA first round win against Lafayette. One week earlier, the Wildcats tallied five sacks in the regular-season finale against fourth-ranked Maine. UNH has tallied at least three sacks nine consecutive games; the streak dates back to Oct. 12 vs. Rhode Island.

Return To Running Form: In the last two regular-season games (at Albany, vs. Maine), the Wildcats ran the ball 88 times for 391 yards. In the finale against the Black Bears, UNH had 50 carries – second highest total to the 51 vs. Villanova (Oct. 19) – for 213 yards. It marked the fifth time this season the 'Cats eclipsed 200 rushing yards in a game.
UNH ran the ball 38 times for 178 yards (4.7 yards/carry) at Albany. That exceeded the combined total of 170 running yards the previous two games against William & Mary (84) and James Madison (86) and marked the team's best yards per carry since the fifth game of the year vs. Rhode Island (season-best 7.7 yards/carry).
The rebirth of the run game continued in the NCAA first round vs. Lafayette with 37 carries for 283 yards; the yardage and yards per carry (7.6) both rank second in the 2013 season. In last week's second round game at Maine, the 'Cats rushed the ball 43 times for 180 yards.

Staunch Defense: Prior to the regular-season finale and NCAA first round games, when the Wildcats allowed three points to Maine and seven to Lafayette, the last time UNH held opponents to single digits in consecutive weeks was a four-game stretch in October – November 1995. (Maine-0, Boston U.-7, Richmond-7, Villanova-9).
UNH's defense shut out the opposition five consecutive quarters – the second half vs. Maine and first three quarters vs. Lafayette – with a shutout streak of 85 minutes, 19 seconds.
The Wildcats' defense did not surrender a TD in eight straight quarters – fourth quarter at Albany, all four quarters vs. Maine and the initial three quarters against Lafayette – until the Leopards scored with 4:50 remaining in the fourth quarter during UNH's 45-7 first-round win.

Turnover Battle: UNH did not commit a turnover the last two games of the regular season against Albany and Maine and turned the ball over just once the previous game vs. James Madison. The Wildcats' defense gained a pair of turnovers all three of those games.
In postseason play, UNH was even vs. Lafayette (one turnover each) and +1 at Maine in the second round (one turnover; two turnovers forced).
UNH has won the turnover battle in six of 13 games and is 5-1 in those games (the lone loss was at Lehigh with a +2 margin). The 'Cats lost the turnover battle four times and went 1-3 in those games (only win vs. Colgate at -1).
Deductive reasoning leads to a draw in the turnover battle three times with New Hampshire winning back-to-back games vs. Rhode Island and Villanova and the first round game vs. Lafayette.
Overall, UNH has not committed a turnover in 5 of 13 games and the defense has recorded at least one turnover in 11 of 13 games with nine multiple-turnover efforts.

Quick Starts on the Road: UNH has a 3-4 road record this season, but slow starts have not been the Wildcats' downfall. The 'Cats have outscored the home team 67-16 in the first quarter but the opposition has the edge in both the second (54-41) and third (62-24) quarters.

Conversion Rates: The Wildcats were highly proficient at third down conversions the last three weeks of the regular season and that included 10-for-17 (58.8%) Nov. 9 vs. James Madison. In the three week span, UNH converted 24 of 52 third downs (46.2%) and also went 2-for-2 on fourth down. UNH's defense, meanwhile, did not allow opponents to extend drives by allowing just seven first downs on 30 third downs (23.3%) the last two weeks against Albany and Maine.
New Hampshire's success continued into the postseason vs. Lafayette with a 6-for-13 offensive effort on third down and 3 of 15 for the visitors followed by 7-for-14 on offense at Maine and 3 of 13 for the Black Bears. In the postsesaon, that calculated to 48.1% conversion for UNH and 21.4% for the visitors.

Well-Disciplined 'Cats: Since being called for 11 penalties for 137 yards – both season highs – at Albany (Nov. 16), the Wildcats have been penalized a total of 10 times for 78 yards in three games. UNH is No. 12 in the nation in penalties/game (4.54) and No. 17 in penalty yards/game (42.54). The 'Cats were not flagged for a penalty Oct. 19 vs. Villanova and were called for just one penalty against both Rhode Island (Oct. 12) and Maine (Nov. 23).

UNH wins Cat Fight against Lafayette: The New Hampshire Wildcats rolled to a 45-7 victory against the Lafayette Leopards in an NCAA first round game Nov. 30 at Cowell Stadium. UNH built a 21-0 lead through one quarter and led 31-0 at halftime, then extended the advantage to 38-0 at the end of three. Lafayette avoided the shutout with a TD at 4:50 of the fourth quarter.
UNH recorded a season-high 10 sacks, which doubled the previous best of five sacks established the previous week vs. Maine. Senior defensive end Jay Colbert spearheaded the defense with four tackles for a loss, including three sacks. UNH yielded a season-low 73 rushing yards – and only 1.9 yards per carry – to the Leopards.
The Wildcats rushed for 283 yards, including a game- and season-high 84 yards on six carries for Dalton Crossan. Crossan amassed 131 all-purpose yards and scored two TDs (17-yard reception and 56-yard run). R.J. Harris led the aerial attack with eight catches for 173 yards. Nick Cefalo recorded an 86-yard punt return for TD; the previous UNH punt return for a touchdown was Sept. 10, 2011, at Lehigh (Joey Orlando, 56 yards).
UNH finished with 283 rushing yards and 268 passing yards to mark just the second time this season the team eclipsed 250 rushing and passing yards in the same game. (Sept. 24 vs. Colgate; 263 rushing, 288 passing). It marked the only game this season the 'Cats didn't allow a sack.

How Low Can You Go: In the Nov. 23 regular-season finale, UNH held Maine's rushing attack to 95 yards – the lowest by an opponent during the regular season – and the Black Bears' 315 total yards marked the third lowest total allowed in 2013. The last time the Wildcats held an opponent to less than 100 rushing yards was Oct. 20, 2012, when once again it was Maine with 95 yards on the ground.

STERITI RUNS PAST 2,000: Junior RB Nico Steriti entered UNH's Top 10 list in career rushing yards during his 68-yard effort vs. James Madison on Nov. 9, when he surpassed both Curt Collins and Jim Quinn. He eclipsed 2,000 career yards during a 139-yard ground game vs. Maine (Nov. 23) and moved into a tie for eighth with 74 rushing yards against the Black Bears in the NCAA second round game.
UNH All-Time Leading Rushers
1. Jerry Azumah (1995-98) 6,193

HARRIS AMONG BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY: Junior WR R.J. Harris climbed one spot on the UNH career receiving yards leaderboard each of the last three weeks of the regular season and is currently No. 5.
Harris ascended to fifth place for UNH's all-time receptions list following an eight-catch, 173-yard effort Nov. 30 vs. Lafayette. He is within striking distance of climbing to No. 3.
Receiving Yards
1. David Ball (2003-06) 4,655

MONEY MIKE IS ALL-TIME FG KING: Senior Mike MacArthur took over UNH's all-time lead in field goals by successfully hitting a 23-yard attempt – the 41st make of his career – in the third quarter of the Wildcats' 29-28 victory vs. Villanova at Cowell Stadium on Oct. 19.
MacArthur made 11 consecutive field goals spanning Sept. 28 to Nov. 23, when his 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Maine.
MacArthur, who surpassed Connor McCormick (40, 2002-05), climbed into a tie for ninth place on the CAA leaderboard with field goals of 29 and 35 yards against James Madison (Nov. 9); the 35-yarder matched his long for the season.
He matched his personal best of three FGs in a game with makes of 31, 33 and 34 yards Nov. 16 at Albany, and he vaulted into seventh place on the conference leaderboard.
MacArthur then climbed into a three-way tie for fifth place with a 25-yard field goal vs. Maine. He made a 23-yarder in the NCAA first round to climb into a tie for fourth and ascended to No. 3 with two more makes (43, 22) in the NCAA second round. Here is a look at the CAA all-time FG made list.
Rank FG Name School Years
1. 59 Greg Kuehn W&M 2002-05
2. 55 Andrew Howard Richmond 2006-09
3. 51 Mike MacArthur UNH 2010-13

AN UNLIKELY SOURCE: On his first career pass attempt, junior running back Nico Steriti completed a 52-yard halfback-option touchdown pass to classmate R.J. Harris to give UNH a 14-0 lead at 3:58 of the second quarter against James Madison on Nov. 9. It still stands as the Wildcats' longest TD pass of the season and fourth-longest pass play in the 2013 season.
Steriti also completed his only pass attempt in both games vs. Maine. On Nov. 23, he connected with QB Andy Vailas for a four-yard pass play. In the Dec. 7 NCAA second round, Steriti completed a 24-yard pass to Harold Spears.